'Job' - a day in contemplation.

‘Job’ – a day in contemplation.

JOB – the name that evoke infinite and forlorn, emptiness! A name that wells up feeling of pity and sympathetic demeanor. Job, a name that brings about apprehension in deep spiritual solitude and penitence… the name that instills stark fear and terror of insecurity, pain, rejection, and dejection.

Job, the name that carries with it the ultimate divine contact and communication… the mainstay of awesome courage, strength in the faith that holds the link with the Creator for eons upon eons.

How do the ordinariness of the humans - ever in simpleton, get anywhere near to understanding the phenomena of ‘Job’, the name and the synonymous ‘Job’ the word?

The millenniums upon millenniums of its mystery… in the relation between the Creator and the ordinariness of the Human. The ultimate divine link.

How do the ordinariness of the human – ever in simpleton, discern this huge technology of Man and God in [conversation] - what never slipped away in this enormous fog of descent! That; humanity dies and is born day to day, through centuries and ages – to forever live in this mystery of ‘Job’!

An existence forever planted in a divine and patriarchal call in affliction; pain even misery and bodily suffering! To whom, of the human kind shall this phenomenon of ‘Job’ make sense? In addition, indeed for whose benefits?

That through this strange affliction, the human kind finds the opportunity… tapping-in, onto the abundance! Thus, enabling the interactivity and creativity that formulate, devise and implement this enormous phenomenon of ‘Job’ the word! So that we actually develop the occupation and tenets of ethical ‘Job’ solutions and creations.

How do the ordinariness of the human – ever in simpleton, own this occasion of thanks and appreciations - that must be long overdue to ‘Job’? For the contact that over the ages never was severed… for the cafes of modern friendships and even caves of ancient learning that was over the ages gone by.

What does it ever matter to the modern day youths with jobs in the media fraternity? How will they ever understand the true roots of their jobs? Lost, in the vainglory of their superb employments – who packaged it all and delivered to their localities? Will not, ever, come to mind!

That should you be the head of a global entity, a national entity, an international entity where would you place your luck or pride for what you are.

Where would you begin your thinking from… if you were a thinker? I’d bet just one dollar [that I don’t have, for a million to one – you would [or should?] begin your thinking from within the fundamental holy books. Where the story of humanity begins…

This, my contemplation comes from the ‘Book of Job’! For it is understandable to me – that, humanity has this enormous task; to piece together the communications technology – which by and large, has a trendy path already achieved – what remains a mystery… are the physical torment and ailing suffering narrated in the phenomenon of ‘Job’? An inherent part of that divine conversation! A human heritage obviously! Just thinking…   

   

  

  

Personal initiative - hallmark of the Arts

Personal initiative - hallmark of the Arts!

WRITING is an art. I am a little bit dismayed, that some of the things happening in the field of ‘literary developments’ in Northern Uganda Schools, seems to be pre-designated to discourage ‘literature’ among pupils and students in Northern Uganda.

One wouldn’t envisage it otherwise! Given certain negative factors often highlighted in the newspapers.

In the ‘Daily Monitor’ report seen in this picture below, it is disturbing to note that, a Schools ‘Essay writing competition’ targeting lower education and, above all organized by ‘Bank of Uganda’, should end on such a note.

[By Cissy Makumbi – Daily Monitor Monday August 1^st, 2016 – in part reads]:

“GULU – The principal education officer at the Ministry of Education and national coordinator Essay Competition, Mr. George Mutekanga, has said District Education Officers whose schools failed to show up at the Regional Essay Competition will be subjected to disciplinary action. Mr. Mutekanga made the remarks while officiating at the regional essay competition – at the Bank of Uganda, Gulu Branch, on Wednesday…”

It is not so easily believable, that this actually happened in Gulu. The story of writing in the Acholi land Northern Uganda has very fertile roots in the personifications of these great Acholi sons, who did it all in ‘the box’ as it were; poet ‘Professor Okot p’Bitek’ rip (Song of Lawino and others), Professor Ocitti JB rip (Acholi Stories), Professor Dr. Alexander Odonga rip (Acholi Fables), Onyango KuDongo (topics on Luo) and, many others known and unknown Acholi writers, who over the many-many years, were the early generation contributors’ to ‘literary inspirations’ in the Acholi land.    

What moves me to come-out, and weigh-in on this matter, is the simple fact that – going by the little detail report I captured off the pages of the Daily Monitor – the BOU essay writing project should have been fully embraced by the local Schools.

There is certainly no ‘but you see…’ lame excuses here. I am another personification of the fertile roots of writing in the Acholi land, and I did it all outside the box! So how do Acholi pupils and students chicken out of an essay  writing competition?

I think, unfortunately, many people are not telling nothing at all… if that impress upon you anything at all! How do whole and entire regional schools be termed “Dodgers” of a Bank of Uganda essay-writing project? Where do all these proud and ‘GREAT’ fathers, sons and daughters actually materialize? If suddenly, not all their children feature on such schools creative essay writing challenges…

The finding I bumped into sometimes ago and, banked off – only to have reason to recollect it this morning, does not impress me! Nor does it challenge me either. As a writer of a researched book – all these anger me.

One S4 student recently impressed me though – donning a T-Shirt with the inscriptions [School Writing Club] – she instantly grabbed my full attention.

I was walking to Gulu town from the direction of St. Mary Hospital Lacor [my village home side], and so were a group of three or four girls. I strike conversation with the T-Shirt girl…

“I am a member of our School Writing Club because I want to become an Author” she says it so powerfully I, actually laughed and, believed her!

“What is your name?” I ask

“Jud Piyoo” came the toothy all inspired reply – we talked at length and she exhibited character and composure. I liked her straight and felt fatherly to her.

By the time we reached the Customs Corner roundabout, she had passed my basic test on reading, by narrating the “Merchant of Venice”. A child of the arts, I finally conclude and qualified her.  

How then does this Bank of Uganda schools essay writing challenge draw nothing from Gulu schools, but “Dodgers” who must be “punished?” According to the Daily Monitor piece.

“Not all that glitters are gold”! So goes an old adage.

If the story of the Gulu BOU essay ‘dodgers’ might stick, then Gulu and indeed, the sub-region as a whole has a very prickly observer – watching over its literary developments with ill intentions. Or, these might be the new signs and symptoms of a very bad disease killing formal literary developments.  

I am an Author [The Water Trap] who developed as a freelance writer – I walked [off-the box] all my reading and writing life. People who are overcome by their own achievements as [in box developed] – often downgrade me “The Water Trap – was not written by him,” they say! I was for a while psychologically reduced to nothing by the doubting Thomas’s vainglory…

Now I am all positive - these are all non-performers and breeds of the jealous – Sir Samuel Baker SS recently closed down! Some students in jail… aha ha ha… I know these are sons of very proud parents!   

I am self-published, though the Thomas’s want to belittle what I have so far achieved and accomplished, I can defend my own book anytime, anywhere… so really, whose children are the “dodgers” – and who are their bizzare teachers anyway?    Talk about pride and prejudices, in the sometimes-stark stupid fields of education in Uganda…